Singin the boat show blues

Published 7:00 pm, Thursday, March 1, 2007

I just visited the 66th annual Miami International Boat Show, produced by NMMA (National Marine Manufacturers Association) and got a big dose of reality.

TV newscast and newspapers daily declare the devastation of the war we are engaged in and its high cost. News reports tell of spiraling costs of health care, fuel, housing and many of our other daily needs. We are also told of rampant layoffs and outright dismissals by major employers. Almost every day, there are accounts of those still homeless in the Gulf states. In other words, times are tough  but not for all of us.

Turnout for the annual Miami show keeps growing. It occupies over 2.5 million square feet including in-water power and sail locations, with 2,200 exhibitors and 3,000 boats on display. Dollar amounts generated for Miami and surrounding areas of Florida are reported to equal over $800,000,000 in gross sales and wages. I have gone to the show every year for the past 25 years and displays seem to get bigger and glitzier each year.

Announcements of hard times do not affect this show. I interviewed a number of exhibitors and most were looking forward to a record year although admitted the past year had been a bit slow. They indicated there were plenty of interested shoppers. I can vouch for that, the crowd was the largest I had ever been in at any prior boat show. Attendance topped 150,000 in 2006 and it seemed even busier this year.

In my opinion, the show has grown too big and has changed completely. It no longer has the look of elegance it once did, and there is no reserved for trade only and red carpet time set aside the first two days of the show. I believe in the past when that policy applied, more industry business took place at the Miami venue than at any other show country wide.

At past shows, before the pubic arrived, magazine staff would scurry around meeting with new product introduction people and prospective advertisers.

Industry writers would attend special previews, for them only, to review the new products and interview developers. There would be hands-on displays and knowledgeable people to demonstrate so writers fully understood what they would be writing about.

Manufacture factory representatives attended during trade and red carpet days and were in their booths to answer technical questions. They would be called upon to point out new functions and how they would be incorporated into various products. Since retail boating sales top out at over 33 billion dollars a year, these meetings were critical to the success of dealers who represent the industry.

As I see it, todays show is more in the hands of PR and marketing firms whose objective is large attendance by the public. Dealers and writers are forced to compete for product representatives attention with the masses. Many boat manufacturers with large displays had sales personnel representing numerous dealers.

Shows a few years back were much better, more accommodating to those on the front line promoting boating. The awful truth that it took me over two hours to find parking (and then ride a bus) plus pay $35 for only five hours tells it all. It sure ruined my experience this year.

I think the amount of dollars generated by the show for Miami Beach should require those who rent space to the show to be responsible for better parking. In addition, high priced parking garages should have to advertise their price just like the cheaper lots.

Miami Beach City Manager, Jorge M. Gonzalez should tell those who handle calls to his Miami Beach Tourist Hotline (673-7400) to mention the $10 parking alternative at the arena when all the lots are full instead of having them say, We are sorry, all our lots are full. If the city promotes the show as such a class event, they should behave more like it and treat visitors better.

I believe the International Boat Show has lost its flare. It has become the largest boat sales outlet in the country and a major place to warm up in February. It was always a vacation type business trip for attendees in the past but now it is just a vacation for everyone.

If I were in the market for a new boat, I would not look at the Miami show. I would wait until I could talk to a representative one on one, and not have to stand in line with a crowd pushing and shoving.

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I did manage to find some new products to test and write about but had a difficult time trying to talk with some representatives. I definitely did not leave with thoughts of looking forward to my 26th visit next year.

Capt. Fred Davis is a freelance writer. His column appears Fridays in the Huron Daily Tribune.